The group of patients most frequently in need of nutritional support are intensive care patients. This year (i.e., 2019), new European Society for Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism (ESPEN) guidelines of clinical nutrition in intensive care were published, updating and gathering current knowledge on the subject of this group of patients. Planning the right nutritional intervention is often a challenging task involving the necessity of the choice of the enteral nutrition (EN) or parenteral nutrition (PN) route of administration, time of initiation, energy demand, amino acid content and demand as well as the use of immunomodulatory nutrition. The aim of this study was to specify and discuss the basic aspects of the clinical nutrition of critically ill patients recommended by ESPEN guidelines. Clinical nutrition in intensive care seems to be the best-studied type of nutritional intervention. However, meta-analyses and clinical studies comparing EN and PN and their impact on the prognosis of the intensive care patients showed ambiguous results. The nutritional interventions, starting with EN, should be initiated within 24–48 h whereas PN, if recommended, should be implemented within 3–7 days. The recommended method of calculation of the energy demand is indirect calorimetry, however, there are also validated equations used worldwide in everyday practice. The recommended protein intake in this group of patients and the results of insufficient or too high supply was addressed. In light of the concept of immunomodulatory nutrition, the use of appropriate amino acid solutions and lipid emulsion that can bring a positive effect on the modulation of the immune response was discussed.

A serious problem in everyday clinical practice is the co-administration of drugs using the same infusion line. Potential complications of co-administration of incompatible drugs include precipitation in the infusion line or central venous catheter leading to its occlusion. Administration of precipitate and large lipid droplets into the venous system may lead to the embolization of capillaries and local or systemic inflammatory reactions, with the consequences of venous thrombosis, chronic venous insufficiency, and even pulmonary embolism. The co-administration of drugs must always be confirmed and clearly defined. The study aimed to determine the interaction between colistin (COL) in the dose used during intermittent hemodialysis and five different ready-to-use PN admixtures (PN) (Kabiven, Smofkabiven, Olimel N9E, Nutriflex Lipid Special, and Nutriflex Omega Special). COL-PN compatibilities were tested by comparing physicochemical properties (pH, zeta potential, lipid emulsion particle size) of COL and PN at three time points: immediately after sample preparation, after ten minutes, and after four hours. No changes in the visual inspection were observed. Both PN without COL and COL-PN samples remained white, homogeneous oil-in-water emulsions with no signs of phase separation, precipitation, or color change. There were no significant changes in pH, and the mean droplet diameter remained below the acceptance limit of 500 nm. The zeta potential and osmolality of COL-PN samples ranged from −21.4 to −7.22 mV and from 567 to 1304 mOsm/kg, respectively. The COL does not influence the physical stability of studied PN admixtures. The co-infusion of COL with Kabiven, Nutriflex Lipid Special, Olimel N9E, Nutriflex Omega Special, and Smofkabiven is possible in the dose used during intermittent hemodialysis.

Background: Co-infusion of parenteral nutrition (PN) and other drugs increases the risk of the interaction between drug and PN admixtures that can cause embolization of small blood vessels, resulting in potentially fatal consequences, including pulmonary embolism, or liver and retina vascular damage. The present study aimed to determine the compatibility between ciprofloxacin (CF) and eighteen compounded PN admixtures in order to assess the possibility of their co-administration via Y-sites. Methods: CF and PN admixtures were mixed at two volume ratios (1:1 and 2:1) and potential interactions were examined using visual inspection, and measurements of pH, osmolality particle size, and zeta potential. The analyses were conducted immediately after sample preparation and after four hours of storage. Results: The compatibility tests showed that the addition of the CF to the PN admixtures did not cause any color change or sign of destabilization in the fat emulsion. However, precipitation was observed in formulations containing higher CF concentrations and, in the case of lower CF concentrations, in formulations containing magnesium and calcium ions at a molar ratio of 2:1. Conclusions: The administration of CF and PN admixtures via the Y-site should be avoided or performed only with PN admixtures for which compatibility has been confirmed and the CF concentration in samples is 1 mg/mL at a molar ratio of magnesium to calcium ions of 1:1.

Simultaneous administration of parenteral nutrition (PN) admixtures with intravenous antibiotics is a common clinical problem. Coadministration of drugs incompatible with PN admixture may affect its stability, especially in the context of lipid droplet size, which is a crucial parameter for patient safety. In the present study, we investigate the in vitro compatibility of meropenem (Meropenem 1000, MPM) with five commercial PN admixtures used worldwide: Kabiven, Olimel N9E, Nutriflex Lipid Special, Nutriflex Omega Special, and SmofKabiven. The appropriate volumetric ratios, reflecting their clinical practice ratios, were used to prepare the MPM–PN admixture samples. Physicochemical properties of MPM–PN admixtures samples were determined upon preparation and after four hours of storage. The pH changes for all MPM–PN admixtures samples did not exceed the assumed level of acceptability and ranged from 6.41 to 7.42. After four hours of storage, the osmolarity changes were ±3%, except MPM–Olimel N9E samples, for which differences from 7% to 11% were observed. The adopted level of acceptability of changes in zeta potential after four hours of storage (±3 mV) was met for MPM–Kabiven, MPM–Nutriflex Lipid Special, and MPM–Nutriflex Omega Special. The mean droplet diameter for all samples was below 500 nm. However, only in the case of Nutriflex Lipid Special and Nutriflex Omega Special, the addition of MPM did not cause the formation of the second fraction of lipid droplets. The coadministration of MPM via Y-site with Kabiven, Olimel N9E, and Smofkabiven should be avoided due to osmolarity fluctuations (MPM–Olimel), significant differences in zeta potential (MPM–Olimel, MPM–Smofkabiven), and the presence of the second fraction of lipid droplets >1000 nm (MPM–Kabiven, MPM–Olimel, and MPM–Smofkabiven). The assumed acceptance criteria for MPM compatibility of MPM with PN admixtures were met only for Nutriflex Lipid Special and Nutriflex Omega Special in 1:1, 2:1, and 4:1 volume ratios.

Background: The administration of total parenteral nutrition (TPN) is a common procedure in intensive care units, where the concomitant use of other intravenous medication is frequently needed. One of the particularly dangerous complications for neurosurgical patients is meningitis, for which high doses of ampicillin (AMP) are used. In such cases, the addition of AMP to TPN admixtures would be a desirable procedure. Thus, the AMP determination method in TPN admixture was developed and validated. Methods: An isocratic HPLC analysis was performed on a LiChrospher C18 end-capped column (250 mm, 4.6 mm, 5 µm) with a C18 pre-column (LiChrospher 100, 4 mm, 5 µm). The flow rate was 1.0 mL min⁻¹ and the detection wavelength was 230 nm. System suitability parameters, such as capacity factor, numbers of the theoretical plate, asymmetry factor, as well as validation parameters, including method precision, accuracy, linearity, selectivity, and robustness, were set up. Results: The method was shown to be linear, precise, accurate, specific, and robust, and it can be used for the quantitative analysis of AMP in TPN admixtures. Conclusions: The degradation of AMP in the TPN admixtures occurred according to first order kinetics. The degradation rate was high and dependent on the composition of the mixture and the storage conditions (t_0.5 varied from 142.44 h to 300.45 h).